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Valkyrie-type Battlestar
The Valkyrie Class Battlestar is a class of battlestar operated by the Colonial Fleet. Somewhat smaller than the Galactica class; she is presumably used as a light strike and reconnaissance ship. First pushed into service during the Cylon War, the Valkyrie class has proven to be quite versatile, with many remaining in active service (presumably with multiple upgrades/refits) up until the Fall of the Twelve Colonies. Characteristics Crew The crew complement of the Valkyrie class is unknown; based on the Galactica class's original required crew of 5000 people, it is presumed that the Valkyrie class, being somewhat smaller, required up to 2-3000 people, at least in its original configuration. This number is presumably decreased significantly after the war thanks to upgrades/refits to the class. Propulsion Ships of this class have 4 main rearwards-facing sublight engines mounted in pods onto their outer hull, two on the ship's dorsal and ventral surfaces each. Smaller maneuvering thrusters are also scattered throughout the ship to allow it to maneuver quickly in combat scenarios. It has at least one FTL drive installed aboard to allow for faster-than-light travel; exactly how many are installed is unknown (for instance, the Galactica class has two). Computer Systems Coming from the Cylon War, it is presumed that, at least in their original design configuration, ships of this class lacked the advanced computer technology and networking of more modern battlestars for fear of Cylon infiltration. It is presumed that most, if not all, ships of this class have been heavily upgraded since; several are shown as being shut down by Cylon infiltration of their CNP navigation system during the Fall of the Colonies. Armament Being a smaller battlestar, ships of this class do not appear to possess the heavy turrets seen on the Galactica and Mercury class, instead sporting several smaller turrets scattered throughout the ship as well as CIWS weaponry to defend against incoming ordinance and an array of both regular (explosive) and nuclear-tipped missiles to be launched from missile tubes at enemy targets. Fighter Complement In a turn from standard Battlestar design, instead of having launch tubes located at the side of the two flight pods, the Valkyrie class has forward-facing launch tubes located at the front of each flight pod. This is presumably due to its small size being unable to support more tubes. Based on its size, it is presumed that ships of this class can support several squadrons of Viper fighters and multiple Raptor multipurpose craft. Notable Ships Battlestar Valkyrie Being pressed into service during the Cylon War, the Battlestar Valkyrie was severely damaged in the Battle of Canceron Prime, being reported destroyed; in fact, she had taken heavy damage - described as being "shot to hell" - but secretly salvaged and covertly reassigned to the Ghost Fleet Offensive, with which it took part in several strikes against Cylon forces, dealing heavy damage. Several decades after the war, the Valkyrie operated a secret mission near the Armistice Line to conduct espionage on the Cylons under the command of William Adama, where it was to launch a Stealthstar stealth fighter across the line to conduct surveillance. Unfortunately, due to unknown bogeys threatening to destroy the Stealthstar craft, the Valkyrie was forced to shoot down the craft. The mission was unsuccessful. During the Fall, the Valkyrie was seen over Caprica defending the Colonies; it and her fighters was shut down by the CNP backdoor and destroyed prior to enemy contact. Battlestar Yashuman During the Fall, the Yashuman spotted a large wave of unknown vessels (Cylon Basestars and accompanying fighter squadrons) bearing in on Caprica. Moving in to defend the Colonies along with the Battlestar Valkyrie and several other unnamed battlestars of its class, the Yashuman and her fighters were shut down by the CNP backdoor just prior to enemy contact. Category:Ships Category:Colonial Fleet Category:Colonial Fleet starships